Overview
- On May 23, tens of thousands of people packed Slavija Square in Belgrade for a student-organized rally calling for early parliamentary elections and removal of President Aleksandar Vucic.
- Groups later clashed with riot police near the presidency, police used teargas and stun grenades, and authorities said 23 people were detained after the disturbances.
- The government took steps to limit turnout by canceling all trains to and from Belgrade and maintaining a visible camp of Vucic loyalists near the presidency to deter protesters.
- European rights officials and EU enlargement representatives said they will monitor events closely and warned that continued democratic backsliding could jeopardize about €1.5 billion in EU funding.
- The student movement began after the Novi Sad rail-station canopy collapse in November 2024 that killed 16 people and has sustained nationwide pressure for over 18 months while facing the challenge of turning street momentum into electoral change.